Näin pilvet kuolevat, Tuija Halttunen’s documentary that seeks to change the way we see clouds

Näin pilvet kuolevat, the latest documentary by Tuija Halttunen reached the big screen during the 66th Valladolid International Film Festival. The feature-length film, which is part of the Cinema and Climate Change section and competes for the Green Spike, was presented to the audience by the producer, Niina Virtanen.

The Finnish filmmaker’s film focuses on telling the story of scientist Hannele Korhonen, who has one ultimate ideal: to be the best at her job and to be recognised for it. Her life changes drastically when she is awarded a $1.5 million research grant from the United Arab Emirates to stimulate rainfall in the region, a tremendously arid territory. But gradually as the documentary unfolds, Hennele realises that those funding her research have their own agenda, and her enthusiasm turns into an ethical dilemma and an inner conflict.

During her speech, Virtanen thanked the audience for having decided to attend, during the afternoon of October 27th, to watch the film. “It was a story I had never heard of before we started shooting the film,” said the producer, who expressed her joy at being in Spain, as it was her first time participating in the festival.

Niina Virtanen concluded the presentation by telling the audience that, once the screening was over, her wish was “that they will have learnt something new and that they would see the clouds in a different way.”